We typically reply to comments the next day to save on time and call costs ;-)
But because we have so many well wishers, I should reply now! That and I'm all dressed up like an idiot sending emails on the bonnet, covered in mosquito mesh, Cassie's jumper (Yes, you read correctly) and boiling the jug, so it was a good use of time.
Nora - Great to hear, we were worried you wouldn't be joining us on our trip.
Mum/Dad - Yep, didn't have any fuel conditioner, but it's all good now. It's hard enough getting diesel letalone conditioner ;-)
Mum/Warren - Yep, not proving anything to anyone. But good point. I've been not rehashing Jon/Amanda's trip because they would already know it all - forgetting they are the only ones who have :) I will try to include more detail.
Warren - thank you for the fluffy philosophy - you nailed it
Position: 12-07-02 22:04:57 +1100 +0000
http://maps.google.com/maps?&ll=55.62774,124.862&q=55.62774,124.862&z=16
Thought I would let you know that the spot satellite tracker is working well.
ReplyDeleteWould like to see some pictures, so I have another suggestion.
Set a time to stop for the day (eg 6pm) so you have time to wind down and do blogging and posting pics & chill.
Can't wait to see the stylish mossie/fly net. LOL
Cassie and Graeme,
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are having the same ups and downs as we did 12 months ago. Your tales are making me wish I was doing the trip... then I remember the dust on the road to Yakutsk. :) (Take care on the last 500 km, it is busy and the drivers are mad, as you now know!)
Remember you are on an adventure, the type they make TV programs about! There will be days when you are not having fun, but they will still be better than sitting in the office.
Dont forget to keep smiling with your Russian "friends", they speak gruffly, but a smile and keeping friendly goes a long way to dealing with the language barrier. The rural people are incredibly friendly, they get frustrated not being able to communicate. Buy some sweets and offer them to your new friends when you meet them. It seems to be the local custom, to share some small food items. It is a good icebreaker too.
Re: your fuel. My Cruiser ute runs the same engine as yours. The Russian fuel is crap. You might have picked up a contaminated load, that might be waxy. If it gets really bad, you may have to change the fuel filter. This is not so hard, but can be a horror to undo cos they seem to tighten with time (you can always bash a screwdriver thru the filter to undo, but you are committed to replacing it then!). To bleed the system use the hand pump on the top of the filter until it gets firm.
A tip to find a camp site. Many of the bridges have side tracks near the bridge. These run down to the creek / river. The Russians use these too so there is sometimes rubbish around. That is something we struggled with, the amount of Rubbish.
We avoided the small towns. They are pretty run down. You will note that they get worse toward Magadan (Susuman is a corker, and Orotukan looks abandoned but isnt!). This is because the places were supported by the Soviet government pre 1991 and now the mining income has dropped they have been partially abandoned.
We took the same approach, start late and finish around 6pm to 7pm. It is still stinking hot at that time tho. Remember the long daylight hours will trick you and make you tired.
Keep up the awesome blog.
Jon (of Jon and Amanda).
Hey dudes - keep your spirits up. It can be hard during the first few weeks into an epic journey as your mind starts trying to rationalise the scale and cost of what happening. In the thick of that, it can be easy to throw in the towel and just go sit on a beach in Vanuatu. But(and apologies for re-iterating everyone elses advice)...
ReplyDelete- Travelling and exploring cant be rationalised, so dont even try
- Embrace the filth! You have a licence to not shower and shave (sorry Cass) and wear whatever the hell you like (ie mossie nets)
- Take your time, get up late, sit around and soak it in
- Engage with the wackiness! Its always fun to see how much of a conversation you can have through miming and pictograms
- Think of the killer stories you are collecting day by day. These are the memories you will be regaling your grandkids with one day.
Above all just remember that this is finite - before you know it you will be back at home, going to work, cooking dinner and doing the ironing. No matter what it costs, how long it takes or how it feels at the time, its good to be be challenged and taken out of your comfort zone. It will sound trite and glib, but not a lot of people get this freedom - make the most of it.
Are you kidding? Wouldn't have missed it for the world! Was up in Cairns last week thinking, "Graeme and Cass must be in Korea...They must've landed in Russia by now...Wonder if their container made it..." etc, etc.
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing us all along with you on your journey!